Imaging of Abdominal Pain in Pregnancy

This article reviews the evolving radiology and clinical literature on imaging of suspected common and relatively common maternal nonobstetric conditions of the abdomen and pelvis, including appendicitis, urolithiasis, and biliary disease, as well as on trauma to the maternal abdomen and pelvis and to the fetus. Recommendations for imaging these conditions, based on the literature to date and on the authors' experiences at two tertiary-care institutions with busy obstetric services, are proposed. The potential and theoretical fetal and maternal risks from such imaging are also reviewed.